Project Managers, Unlock the Power of Timeboxing

1. Project
Managers,
Unlock the
Power of
Timeboxing

2. Modern work is inherently project-based and collaborative.
We are all project managers to some extent. From managing small repetitive
task, to organizing the whole day, to creating a strategy for the client or team.
For everyone, not just project managers, mastering timeboxing can be a
gateway to bridging the gap between intention and execution.
You’re probably already are timeboxing, at least a little.
In a nutshell, timeboxing means focusing on one task — and one task
only — for an allotted time.

3. Project Management
The role of the project manager is changing.
AI is set to have a major impact on project
management. Gartner predicts that by 2030, 80% of
projects will be run by AI such as data collection,
tracking and reporting, according (and note that
projection was made before the rapid rise of
generative AI this year).
So, both dedicated project managers and those
managing projects as part of their roles must
introspect to identify and acquire the most
valuable skills for the future.
For ex. AI will analyze data faster than humans and
using those results to improve overall performance.

4. Timeboxing
Timeboxing, in particular — the practice of
completing tasks with focus and within
set timeframes — is a special, evergreen
capability for all project managers.
Timeboxing lies right at the heart of project
management and that better timeboxing
begets better project management, and vice
versa.

5. Types of Timeboxing
The term initially was created in the ’90s as a technique to plan and manage projects
to build software and applications, usually over a period of weeks or months.
But more recently: the term has been used in a less-rarified sense, to denote a mindset
and method of personal productivity.
In this form of timeboxing, an individual systematically and intentionally decides what
they will do, when they will start, and when they will finish, and then gets that task
(and only that task) done in the allotted time. This type of timeboxing is for a single
person, rather than a team.

6. Timeboxing Mirrors Project
Management
The goal of project management
is to help a team achieve a goal
or solve a problem within an
agreed timeframe.
Timeboxing achieves exactly that
— for an individual.
Timeboxing and project management
share a number of striking similarities:
● Estimation and forecasting
● Scope/time/cost
● Prioritization
● Harmonious collaboration

7. Estimation and forecasting
Timeboxing requires an individual to
estimate how long a task will take and
which set of tasks they will be able to
accomplish that day (or in that week).
Project managers need to estimate the
length of time the project will last, taking
into account dependencies, deadlines,
risks, and commercial realities.

8. Scope/time/cost
A timebox includes all these elements:
The scope is covered by the description
of the task, the time is how long the task
should take, and the (usually just one)
multiplied by their day rate, multiplied by
the timebox’s duration.
In project management, these three items
are called, literally, the Project
Management Triangle, and are
fundamental considerations for all
projects.

9. Prioritization
Understanding
● deadlines and dependencies,
● ordering tasks accordingly,
● and saying no (with justification)
when appropriate
are all essential elements of both
timeboxing and project management.

10. Harmonious collaboration
With timeboxing, a shared, digital
calendar communicates to
colleagues what you’re doing and
when, and in some cases includes
the context for your expectations or
capability constraints.
With project management,
communication and stakeholder
management is the essential
people side of a successful venture.

11. Learning to Timebox
Exercise:
Pick one small item from your to-do list that’s
been stagnating there for a while. Add it to
your calendar in a 30- or 60-minute slot. Invite
someone with an interest in the item in your
calendar to provide a little bilateral social
pressure to help you see it through.
Treat the appointment seriously when it
comes; make sure you get it done.
Review how this worked for you and repeat
with a few more to-do list items.

12. Source
1. https://hbr.org/2023/10/project-managers-unlock-the-power-of-timeboxing
2. https://hbr.org/2018/12/how-timeboxing-works-and-why-it-will-make-you-m
ore-productive

13. Thank You